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42-ft-long whale found dead off Sorsogon

SORSOGON CITY – A 42-foot-long, seven-ton whale was found dead Wednesday in waters off Barangay (village) Tagdon in Barcelona town, Sorsogon province.

Barcelona town councilor Mark Joseph Paras said the whale was found by fishermen with wounds in several parts of its body and was towed near the shore, sending local residents into a frenzy.

Fisherman Absalon Habulan said the whale was first spotted in the open sea but was later found floating, appearing to be very weak and exhausted.

Paras notified the Fishery section of the Provincial Agriculture Office and the Provincial Environment and Natural resources Office which decided to bury the dead mammal, based on the Fishery Administrative Order No. 193 which governs the disposition of dead whales.

Anabelle Barquilla, coastal and marine management chief of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, said the whale was already dead when they arrived in the area. Barquilla estimated the whale's length and weight.

The whale was identified as a Bryde's Whale, also known as Baleen Whale, that is usually seen off the coasts of the island-provinces of Siquijor, Bohol, Palawan and Camiguin in the central Philippines. -GMANews.TV